Author: Thom

This kitschy American diner in León is down a particularly busy side street narrower than the alley behind my house in Tacoma. It’s about halfway between the cathedral and the Benedictine Convent which is the most popular albergue in the city. We wanted to try this place, to see what passed for American food in Spain, but the continuing call […]

For the last of my photos of the beautiful León Cathedral, a long shot down one side of the Cathedral cloister. I love cloisters, with their garden of Eden symbolism and their typically formal layout and design. I rather wish our parish church had one. A thought just hit me – I wonder if the statues set up here are […]

This polychrome statue of Our Lady of Consolation resides in the Cathedral of León. It has recently undergone restoration work, and when you go there you can see an exhibit with before, during, and after photos. Nothing compares to the actual statue of course. I can’t entirely explain the feeling of peace that came over me when I prayed here. […]

For Christmas, I give you one of the more amazing pieces of art in the Cathedral in León. It is in a niche near the sanctuary. Though stripped of its altar, this is part of the former high altar in the cathedral, before it was replaced with an Ikea table and a much more sedate reredos. I can only hope […]

This is a small selection of some of my favourite choir seat carvings in León Cathedral. Honestly, they’re all pretty wonderful. These are just some of the ones that struck me at the time. Date: 19 April 2016 Place: León (Castilla y León, Spain)

This is just a sample of the delightful choir seats of León Cathedral. I’m including this photo so you can see them in situ. Tomorrow, I’ll show some of my favorites in a mosaic. I can’t imagine these seats are at all comfortable. I’m particularly intrigued by the ones at the end in this image, which seem to have built-in […]

The choir and clergy of the Cathedral of León sit in this magnificent enclosure in the center of the cathedral. Every single one of the wooden seats is carved with the image of a different Biblical figure or saint. I will show just a few over the next days. You can see the crazy, almost steampunk organ pipes rising toward […]

The high altar is a conundrum. It retains the 15th century reredos, but the altar itself appears to have been replaced by a table from Ikea. The architecture is glorious The art is amazing. The furniture… less so. Date: 19 April 2016 Place: León (Castilla y León, Spain)

Choir and clergy sit in a great stone enclosure in the middle of the cathedral nave. Through this imposing structure, you can see the high altar with its reredos resplendent in gold. The artistry of the enclosure and the sheer volume of its carvings, both within and without, is a little overwhelming. Date: 19 April 2016 Place: León (Castilla y […]

Because of the central choir structure in the Cathedral, it’s impossible to get a photo will more than a small number of the stained-glass windows. Many of them are from the 13th and 14th century, though some have been added or replaced in every century since. They illuminate the interior in a warm glow that is designed to vary by […]